President Barack Obama praised the Hispanic community Wednesday for all the contributions it has made to the United States.
During the White House’s annual Hispanic Heritage Month reception, Obama said Hispanic heritage is one of the richest in the world.
“And the United States is blessed to share so much of it,” he said. “Traditions, food, music, of course, from Colombia and Cuba, Dominican Republic, countries across Central America, South America — it’s woven into our daily lives.”
In his address (seen in the video above), the president also discussed the strides made within the Hispanic community during his presidency.
“We lifted our high school graduation rates to an all-time high,” he noted. “More Hispanic students are graduating high school and more are going to college than ever before.”
Obama acknowledged that there is still more progress to be made in the U.S., but warned that we will not “get there by tearing each other down, demonizing each other, turning on one another, trying to suggest that somehow there’s one group that is more deserving than others than others who are outsiders.”
He added: “America still gives people hope, and we want to make sure that we fulfill the promise of this amazing country. You help us do it. And that’s why I want to once again say thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”
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